Sensor for diagnostic measuring machine

ABSTRACT

The present invention pertains to a sensor for a diagnostic device using an optical fiber and a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance, which indicates the safety of foodstuffs or is used as a medical examination device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sensor for a diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change of reflected light using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness of foodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, including a light receiving optical fiber through which light is transferred from a light source to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance. The sensor also includes a semi-permeable membrane film part which is filled with the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance so as to detect a pH change of a subject when the subject comes into contact with the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance, receives an output end of the light receiving optical fiber and an input end of an information transferring optical fiber, and includes a reflection member inserted therein so as to reflect the light passing through the light receiving optical fiber into the information transferring optical fiber. The information transferring optical fiber transfers data including the freshness of the foodstuffs or a health condition of the human body therethrough when the light subjected to a wavelength interference by the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance advances into the optical spectroscope. Alternatively, the sensor for the diagnostic device may includes a diagnostic kit insertion member instead of the semi-permeable membrane film part. The diagnostic kit insertion member is made of a material having excellent light transmittance, receives an output end of the light receiving optical fiber and an input end of the information transferring optical fiber, and has a diagnostic kit insertion groove for receiving a diagnostic kit. At this time, the diagnostic kit includes a semi-permeable membrane member and the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance. Accordingly, the sensor for the diagnostic device according to the present invention is advantageous in that it has a relatively short diagnostic time and excellent sensitivity and selectivity to a specific substance. Outer advantages are that the sensor may be repeatedly used many times and applied to various fields, and various diagnoses can conducted for a relatively short time through a simple operation in which various diagnostic kits are replaced with each other.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to a sensor for a diagnostic device usingan optical fiber and a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance,which indicates the safety of foodstuffs or is used as a medicalexamination device. More particularly, the present invention relates toa sensor for a diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change ofreflected light using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness offoodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, including a lightreceiving optical fiber through which light is transferred from a lightsource to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance. The sensoralso includes a semi-permeable membrane film part which is filled withthe pH sensitive high molecular weight substance so as to detect a pHchange of a subject when the subject comes into contact with the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance, receives an output end of thelight receiving optical fiber and an input end of an informationtransferring optical fiber, and includes a reflection member insertedtherein so as to reflect the light passing through the light receivingoptical fiber into the information transferring optical fiber. Theinformation transferring optical fiber transfers data including thefreshness of the foodstuffs or a health condition of the human bodytherethrough when the light subjected to a wavelength interference bythe pH sensitive high molecular weight substance advances into theoptical spectroscope. Alternatively, the sensor for the diagnosticdevice may includes a diagnostic kit insertion member instead of thesemi-permeable membrane film part. The diagnostic kit insertion memberis made of a material having excellent light transmittance, receives anoutput end of the light receiving optical fiber and an input end of theinformation transferring optical fiber, and has a diagnostic kitinsertion groove for receiving a diagnostic kit. At this time, thediagnostic kit includes a semi-permeable membrane member and the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance. Accordingly, the sensor forthe diagnostic device according to the present invention is advantageousin that it has a relatively short diagnostic time and excellentsensitivity and selectivity to a specific substance. Other advantagesare that the sensor may be repeatedly used many times and applied tovarious fields, and various diagnoses can conducted for a relativelyshort time through a simple operation in which various diagnostic kitsare replaced with each other.

BACKGROUND ART

Since Clark has developed an initial glucose sensor using a dialysismembrane to detect glucose in 1962, many studies of a biosensor havebeen made in various engineering fields, such as biological engineering,chemical engineering, electronic engineering, life engineering, andcomputer engineering. The biosensor is usually defined as a systemconverting information obtained from a subject into recognizable signalssuch as colors, fluorescent signals, and electrical signals, usingbiological elements or something imitating the biological elements.

One example of the simplest biosensors is a pregnancy diagnosis kit. Thepregnancy diagnosis kit functions to detect a specific hormone (subject)existing in the urine of women who may be pregnant using antibodies(biological element) to allow users to identify whether they arepregnant or not through a recognizable signal (color) of the pregnancydiagnosis kit. Furthermore, a blood sugar measuring device useful todiabetics is one of the representative biosensors. The blood sugarmeasuring device is operated based on a mechanism that electronsgenerated when hydrogen peroxide produced while glucose (subject) inblood is oxidized by a glucose oxidase (biological element) is convertedinto oxygen are converted into an electric current (signal) usingelectrodes, thereby an amount of blood sugar is measured. Currently,devices, such as the blood sugar measuring device, capable of detectingthe subject to produce recognizable signals are comprehensively calledas sensors.

Meanwhile, the biosensor is classified into an enzyme sensor, amicroorganism sensor, a tissue sensor, and an immune sensor according toa receiver. Additionally, an enzyme and an antibody are most frequentlyused as a sensor matrix because a sensor substance or a sensor used inthe biosensor must have high selectivity and sensitivity to the subject.

However, most of conventional biosensors are disadvantageous in thattheir response time is long, their application fields are limited eventhough they have high selectivity to the subject, they have relativelyshort life span because they have poor thermal/chemical stability.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the prior art, and an aspect of the presentinvention is to provide a sensor for a diagnostic device, which hasadvantages in that it has a relatively short diagnostic time andexcellent sensitivity and selectivity to a specific substance. Otheradvantages of the sensor are that the sensor may be repeatedly used manytimes and applied to various fields, and various diagnoses can conductedfor a relatively short time through a simple operation in which variousdiagnostic kits are replaced with each other.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forthin part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obviousfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The above and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a sensor for adiagnostic device which detects a wavelength change of reflected lightusing an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness of foodstuffs oran immune condition of a human body, including a light receiving opticalfiber through which light is transferred from a light source to a pHsensitive high molecular weight substance. The sensor also includes asemi-permeable membrane film part which is filled with the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance so as to detect a pH change of a subjectwhen the subject comes into contact with the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance, receives an output end of the light receiving opticalfiber and an input end of an information transferring optical fiber, andincludes a reflection member inserted therein so as to reflect the lightpassing through the light receiving optical fiber into the informationtransferring optical fiber. The information transferring optical fibertransfers data including the freshness of the foodstuffs or a healthcondition of the human body therethrough when the light subjected to awavelength interference by the pH sensitive high molecular weightsubstance advances into the optical spectroscope. Alternatively, thesensor for the diagnostic device may include a diagnostic kit insertionmember instead of the semi-permeable membrane film part. The diagnostickit insertion member is made of a material having excellent lighttransmittance, receives an output end of the light receiving opticalfiber and an input end of the information transferring optical fiber,and has a diagnostic kit insertion groove for receiving a diagnostickit. At this time, the diagnostic kit includes a semi-permeable membranemember and the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance.Accordingly, the sensor for the diagnostic device according to thepresent invention is advantageous in that it has a relatively shortdiagnostic time and excellent sensitivity and selectivity to a specificsubstance. Other advantages are that the sensor may be repeatedly usedmany times and applied to various fields, and various diagnoses canconducted for a relatively short time through a simple operation inwhich various diagnostic kits are replaced with each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of thepresent invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor for a diagnostic deviceaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention, whichincludes optical fibers and a pH sensitive high molecular weightsubstance;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a sensor for a diagnostic device accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention, which includesoptical fibers and a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance;

FIG. 4 illustrates a structure of a diagnostic kit applied to the sensorof FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the transparency of the pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance as a function of pH of a subject for thesensor for the diagnostic device according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the samereference numerals are used throughout the different drawings todesignate the same or similar components.

As shown in the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sensor for adiagnostic device according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention, which includes optical fibers and a pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along theline A-A′ of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a sensor for adiagnostic device according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention, which includes optical fibers and a pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance, FIG. 4 illustrates a structure of adiagnostic kit applied to the sensor of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a graphshowing the transparency of the pH sensitive high molecular weightsubstance as a function of pH of a subject for the sensor for thediagnostic device according to the present invention.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the sensorfor the diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change of reflectedlight using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness offoodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, includes a lightreceiving optical fiber 10 through which light is transferred from alight source to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P).Additionally, a semi-permeable membrane film part 30 is filled with thepH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P) so as to detect a pHchange of a subject when the subject comes into contact with the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance (P), receives an output end ofthe light receiving optical fiber 10 and an input end of an informationtransferring optical fiber 20, and includes a reflection member 31inserted therein so as to reflect the light passing through the lightreceiving optical fiber 10 into the information transferring opticalfiber 20. The information transferring optical fiber 20 transfers dataincluding the freshness of the foodstuffs or a health condition of thehuman body therethrough when the light subjected to a wavelengthinterference by the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P)advances into the optical spectroscope.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the sensorfor the diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change of reflectedlight using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness offoodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, includes a lightreceiving optical fiber 10 through which light is transferred from alight source to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P).Furthermore, an information transferring optical fiber 20 transfers dataincluding the freshness of the foodstuffs or a health condition of thehuman body therethrough when the light subjected to a wavelengthinterference by the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P)advances into the optical spectroscope. The sensor also includes adiagnostic kit insertion member 40 made of a material having excellentlight transmittance, which receives an output end of the light receivingoptical fiber 10 and an input end of the information transferringoptical fiber 30 and has a diagnostic kit insertion groove 41 forreceiving a diagnostic kit 50. The diagnostic kit 50 includes asemi-permeable membrane member 51 and the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance (P).

In FIG. 1, the semi-permeable membrane film part 30 includes asemi-permeable membrane at a predetermined position thereof. A remainingportion other than the semi-permeable membrane of the semi-permeablemembrane film part 30 may be made of any material so long as thematerial does not affect the light passing therethrough. When ions andsolvents of a subject pass through the semi-permeable membrane of thesemi-permeable membrane film part 30 or the semi-permeable membranemember 51, the ions and solvents ionize and deionize the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance (P) to allow the pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance (P) to have a transparent phase or an opaquephase, thereby affecting properties of the light, for example awavelength interference phenomenon occurs. At this time, the changedproperties, that is, the changed wavelength of the light is analyzed byan optical spectroscope, thereby a freshness of the subject or a healthcondition of a human body is evaluated.

Any semi-permeable membrane may be used in the semi-permeable membranefilm part 30 or semi-permeable membrane member 51 so long as it allowsonly the ions and solvents contained in the foodstuffs to penetratetherethrough. Further, sulfonamide reacts with methacryloyl chloride toproduce a pH sensitive monomer, and the pH sensitive monomer thusproduced reacts with N,N-dimethylacrylamide as a monomer in variousmolar ratios to produce plural pH sensitive high molecular weightsubstance samples.

Examples of usable sulfonamides include sulfadiazine, sulfabenzamide,sulfacetamide, sulfisoxazole, sulfamethizole, sulfadimethoxine,sulfapyridine, sulfamethazine, sulfisomidine, andsulfamethoxypyridazine.

A procedure of producing a pH sensitive monomer using sulfadiazine isshown in following Reaction equation 1.

Furthermore, a procedure of reacting the pH sensitive monomer, forinstance a sulfadimethoxine monomer, with N,N-dimethylacrylamide as amonomer to produce the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance isshown in the following Reaction equation 2.

In the Reaction equation 2, MBAAm is a crosslinker, and AIBN is aninitiator.

Meanwhile, after the pH sensitive monomer reacts withN,N-dimethylacrylamide as the monomer in various molar ratios to produceplural pH sensitive high molecular weight substance samples, the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance most suitable in a desired pHrange is selected.

For example, sulfadiazine (methacryloyl chloride) which is the pHsensitive monomer may be reacted with N,N-dimethylacrylamide in molarratios of 1:9, 2:8, and 3:7. At this time, a swelling ratio of the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance depends on the molar ratio,thus the molar ratio change affects the transparency of the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance.

The swelling ratio of the pH sensitive high molecular weight substancedenotes the degree of water held in the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance. Accordingly, if the swelling ratio of the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance is low at pH 5 and is high at pH 6, thepH sensitive high molecular weight substance holds more water at pH 6than at pH 5. At this time, the swelling ratio change of the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance causes the transparency changeof the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance.

Additionally, a variable pH range of the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance is proportionally increased with a sulfadiazine(methacryloyl chloride) content in the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance. From the following Table 1, it can be seen that whensulfadiazine reacts with N,N-dimethylacrylamide in a molar ratio of 1:9,the variable pH range is about six, but when sulfadiazine reacts withN,N-dimethylacrylamide in a molar ratio of 2:8, the variable pH range issix or higher. Therefore, the variable pH range is controlled using themolar ratio of sulfadiazine(methacryloyl chloride) which is the pHsensitive monomer and N,N-dimethylacrylamide. TABLE 1 Swelling ratio pHMolar ratio 5 6 7 8 1:9 10.4 11.22 20.47 28.67 2:8 10.4 14 24 68 3:7 3.84.3 9.8 43

In FIG. 5, PXD 1 denotes that sulfadiazine(methacryloyl chloride) whichis the pH sensitive monomer reacts with N,N-dimethylacrylamide in amolar ratio of 1:9, and PXD 2 to PXD 8 respectively denote thatsulfadiazine(methacryloyl chloride) reacts with N,N-dimethylacrylamidein molar ratios of 2:8, 3:7, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, 7:3, and 8:2.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a diagnostic kit 50 is separately produced,and a diagnostic kit insertion member 40 into which the diagnostic kit50 is removably inserted is combined with optical fibers 10 and 20. Inother words, after the diagnostic kit 50 is removably inserted into adiagnostic kit insertion groove 41 of the diagnostic kit insertionmember 40, the subject comes into contact with the pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance (P) in the diagnostic kit 50. When ions andsolvents of the subject pass through the semi-permeable membrane of thesemi-permeable membrane member 51, the ions and solvents ionize anddeionize the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P) to allowthe pH sensitive high molecular weight substance (P) to have atransparent phase or an opaque phase, thereby affecting the propertiesof the light, for example a wavelength interference phenomenon occurs.At this time, the changed properties, that is, the changed wavelength ofthe light is analyzed by an optical spectroscope, thereby a freshness ofthe subject or a health condition of a human body is indicated.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides asensor for a diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change ofreflected light using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness offoodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, including a lightreceiving optical fiber through which light is transferred from a lightsource to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance. The sensoralso includes a semi-permeable membrane film part which is filled withthe pH sensitive high molecular weight substance so as to detect a pHchange of a subject when the subject comes into contact with the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance, receives an output end of thelight receiving optical fiber and an input end of an informationtransferring optical fiber, and includes a reflection member insertedtherein so as to reflect the light passing through the light receivingoptical fiber into the information transferring optical fiber. Theinformation transferring optical fiber transfers data including thefreshness of the foodstuffs or a health condition of the human bodytherethrough when the light subjected to a wavelength interference bythe pH sensitive high molecular weight substance advances into theoptical spectroscope. Alternatively, the sensor for the diagnosticdevice may include a diagnostic kit insertion member instead of thesemi-permeable membrane film part. The diagnostic kit insertion memberis made of a material having excellent light transmittance, receives anoutput end of the light receiving optical fiber and an input end of theinformation transferring optical fiber, and has a diagnostic kitinsertion groove for receiving a diagnostic kit. At this time, thediagnostic kit includes a semi-permeable membrane member and the pHsensitive high molecular weight substance. Accordingly, the sensor forthe diagnostic device according to the present invention is advantageousin that it has a relatively short diagnostic time and excellentsensitivity and selectivity to a specific substance. Other advantagesare that the sensor may be repeatedly used many times and applied tovarious fields, and various diagnoses can conducted for a relativelyshort time through a simple operation in which various diagnostic kitsare replaced with each other.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A sensor for a diagnostic device which detects a wavelength change ofreflected light using an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness offoodstuffs or an immune condition of a human body, comprising: a lightreceiving optical fiber through which light is transferred from a lightsource to a pH sensitive high molecular weight substance; asemi-permeable membrane film part which is filled with the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance so as to detect a pH change of a subjectwhen the subject comes into contact with the pH sensitive high molecularweight substance, receives an output end of the light receiving opticalfiber and an input end of an information transferring optical fiber, andincludes a reflection member inserted therein so as to reflect the lightpassing through the light receiving optical fiber into the informationtransferring optical fiber; and the information transferring opticalfiber to transfer data including the freshness of the foodstuffs or ahealth condition of the human body therethrough when the light subjectedto a wavelength interference by the pH sensitive high molecular weightsubstance advances into the optical spectroscope.
 2. A sensor for adiagnostic device which detects a wavelength change of reflected lightusing an optical spectroscope to indicate a freshness of foodstuffs oran immune condition of a human body, comprising: a light receivingoptical fiber through which light is transferred from a light source toa pH sensitive high molecular weight substance; an informationtransferring optical fiber to transfer data including the freshness ofthe foodstuffs or a health condition of the human body therethrough whenthe light subjected to a wavelength interference by the pH sensitivehigh molecular weight substance advances into the optical spectroscope;and a diagnostic kit insertion member made of a material havingexcellent light transmittance, which receives an output end of the lightreceiving optical fiber and an input end of the information transferringoptical fiber and has a diagnostic kit insertion groove for receiving adiagnostic kit, the diagnostic kit including a semi-permeable membranemember and the pH sensitive high molecular weight substance.
 3. Thesensor as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein the pH sensitive highmolecular weight substance is produced by reacting a pH sensitivemonomer with N,N-dimethylacrylamide as a monomer after sulfonamidereacts with methacryloyl chloride to produce the pH sensitive monomer.4. The sensor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the sulfonamide isselected from the group consisting of sulfadiazine, sulfabenzamide,sulfacetamide, sulfisoxazole, sulfamethizole, sulfadimethoxine,sulfapyridine, sulfamethazine, sulfisomidine, andsulfamethoxypyridazine.